My Big Bro

As long as I am persecuting my family, I thought that I would include my brother. He is the middle child in our line-up. My sister was the oldest, after; came Chris to be followed by the unexpected surprise of me. He has always been a brain... (maybe he was adopted). I remember my first day in high school. The morning announcements came over the intercom... "Chris Leach... please come to the office." I thought.."how cool is that to have your brother's name called out ..first thing on your first day?" It turned out NOT to be a good thing, and over that year, I heard it called quite frequently. He was in the ROTC program for military, and wore a Nazi helmet when the actual military came to "inspect the troops" It goes without saying , that he flunked military. He also was the instigator in most of the pranks that went on in our school. Pulling fire alarms, taking dissected frogs from the Biology department, and stretching them over the water fountain spigots in the hallway... He was suspended after the first girl fainted. He was suspended again, when he pulled down all the fire doors in the school, and banged on them from the other side " FIRE. FIRE. get OUT !" Of course this was in the seventies, and things were not quite as crazy in the REAL world. I remember when we had a newspaper drive to collect papers. He and a couple of his friends took the wheels off of a cheer leader's car and left it sitting on a stack of newspapers. Needless to say, my parents found out about the local Police Department and their willingness to let let young people go to the release of their parents. ( Thank the Lord he is not growing up in today's times). He was an amazing tennis player( a gift he got from my Dad), and a really intelligient guy. He fluffed his way through high school, and went on to Georgia Tech. After beating one of the tennis team's members.. ( who was royally ticked), and deciding after my mom's death that he was ready for the working world.. He began a career in the freight business. He has climbed every ladder, made every move to another state that they have wanted, and is an envied, respected man in his company. From a GOOF to a boss... and my hat goes off to him for his achievements. His humor is still there, and it is unrelenting. He tortures all of his nephews, and recently his niece, to no end. It can be verbal abuse, or physically tickling them to death, or just pestering the crap out of them. But he is an ABSOLUTE great guy. Every Christmas Eve, he goes shopping for the kids at the ATM, and they are ALL always THRILLED with their present.... Let me add that he is a BIG spender. He reminds me of my Dad so much that it makes my heart ache.. My Dad was the greatest man that I have ever met on this Earth, and my brother is a very close second best. He let's me remember my Dad through him, and see what a totally blessed person I am to have the family that I have.. and although he can be a pain in the ass sometimes.. HEY !! That sometimes reminds of my Dad too !! But I have loved and love them both. My life would not be complete with out them . He is the greatest guy I have ever had the chance to meet and know, and just for the fact that he loves me and my kids... is the greatest feeling that a sister can have about a bachelor brother, that I hope has kids one day; that I can love, abuse and torture like he has mine... but my kids LOVE their Uncle... and I love him too